Hi there, it’s Naomi in New York. Facebook played defense in Washington again, but first…

Today’s top tech news: 

Defensive testimony

After weeks of dismal headlines about the safety of its products for kids, Facebook appears to be in no mood to wave the white flag just yet. Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, offered a forceful defense against accusations from U.S. senators at a hearing Thursday that the company has been covering up internal studies about the negative effects of its photo-sharing app Instagram on its youngest users. Rather than refuse to encourage young people to use its platforms, Facebook should meet them where they are, Davis argued.

“The reality is that kids are already online, and we believe that developing age-appropriate experiences designed specifically for them is far better for parents than where we are today,” she said.

Davis walked a fine line as she juggled Facebook’s two competing goals. It needs to appease critical lawmakers with the power to damage its reputation and
regulate its business. It also needs to protect its ability to fight for the attention of young users in an increasingly crowded social media market. Facebook gives all indications it’s more interested in prioritizing the latter.

On Sunday, the company
published a point-by-point rebuttal to the Wall Street Journal’s characterization of Facebook’s internal research, arguing the newspaper didn’t highlight the evidence showing Instagram actually helps teens having a tough time. Just before the hearing, Facebook released two slide decks outlining Instagram’s mixed impact on the way young people feel about themselves. The Journal then published additional research decks further showing how Instagram’s product contributes to mental health issues.

There is a good reason Facebook is waging a fierce fight. For years, Facebook has been trying to avoid the fate of Myspace-level irrelevance by making overtures to teens and kids. While the social network rose to prominence among college students in the 2000s, it hasn’t retained its hold on today’s crop of teenagers. Instead, Gen Z and millennials are flocking to apps like Snapchat, TikTok and, yes, Facebook’s own Instagram. To compete, Facebook often tried to buy its rivals or copy them. That’s also why the company launched Messenger Kids, a youth-oriented version of its messaging app. It’s the reason Facebook planned to introduce a kids version of Instagram until
announcing Monday it would pause work on the project.

But lawmakers know Facebook’s playbook. During the hearing, senators charged that Facebook was prioritizing growth and money over the well-being of children. In one particularly tense exchange, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota questioned Davis about the lifetime value to Facebook of kids who join before the age of 13. “Respectfully, senator, that’s not how we think about building products for young people” Davis answered before admitting after a follow-up question that “we are a business. I’m fully, fully, aware of that.” —Naomi Nix

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